Ask any former Lisle resident...
What the sound of a distant train horn reminds them of? Most likely
it
will
take
them
back to the days of
living in Lisle and the sound of trains passing through town at
all hours.
I love to remember late night homework sessions. Sitting up at home with
the window open... A cool breeze and that wonderful sound of an approaching
train in the distance. Hmmm. Almost haunting...

For many, it's a sound that reminds
them of "rush hour" in Lisle. Maybe it takes them back to being
a kid playing down by the tracks. (I know that sounds crazy but we used to
goof
around down there all the time!)
Either way, the sound of distant trains has always been a part of the "sound-track" of Lisle.
Since the late 1800's, those "steel giants" have been providing Lisle
with a sound that brings so many of us back... If only in our minds.

Here is a great postcard photo that shows the Lisle train
depot around 1909.

Here is a photo looking east around the 1880's or 90's.
Lisle's original
Main Street (now known as Front street) can be seen on the right.

Here
is a photo from 1908 - 09 looking west down "Main Street" now
known as Front Street. You can see it in the above photo on the far
right. Joe Riedy's
Hardware
later became the building were the St. Joan's congregation met before
the main church was built. It went on to be the Lisle Library. This
was one
of Lisle's last historic buildings and it was torn down this past year
(2005.)
The building on the far right was Long's Blacksmith shop. It later became
Lisle fire station #1 where Julius "Slip" Long became Lisle's
first fire chief.

Note: Those wagons (in the foreground) are loaded with large milk cans.

Here's a photo from the 1960's looking north/east on Front
Street. In the background you can see the Lisle train station...
In the
foreground (on the right) is a shed with a sign that says "Albert Riedy
Office... Hardware, Lumber, Coal and Grain."

Many of
you will remember Riedy's Hardware & Lumber.
This great picture shows their building located on the west side of
Main (just across from
the fire station.) Their sign also says "Established 1889"
Also, this has got to be one of our best photos of the Lisle water tower!